Mark DeSantis
Background * Mark F. DeSantis, PhD * Republican. Won the write-in vote in May 2007 and advances to the November 2007 general election as a candidate for mayor. * Graduate of University of Dayton where he was a wrestler. * Grew up in Western PA. * Wikipedia:Mark_DeSantis Details Bio from the Heinz School : harvested in July, 2008 * CEO – ANGLE Technology Consulting and Management – US * email: mark.desantis@angletec.com Mark DeSantis is the Chief Executive Officer of ANGLE Technology Consulting and Management – US. ANGLE Technology is a consulting firm that specializes in providing management, strategic planning and business development assistance to emerging, technology-based companies. Mark’s clients include a number of US and non-US based public and private companies. He has personally spearheaded business development, M&A and strategic planning efforts for a wide variety of companies and non-profit organizations. Mark founded or co-founded several companies and currently serves as a Director or Adviser to a number of tech-based emerging and established companies in the US, Canada and the EU. Prior to joining Angle Technology Group, Mark was President of Formation3, LLC, a firm the specialized in providing strategic assistant to firms engaged or seeking engagement with the public sector. Prior to that, Mark was a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a strategic consultant to the Carnegie Mellon Research Institute. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, mark was previously the Director of Government Relations for Texas Instruments, Inc. in Washington DC. He served in a number of policy positions in the Federal government including serving as a Senior Policy Analyst in both The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Commerce in the first Bush Administration. He was also on the staff of the late U.S. Senator John Heinz and before that he was a management consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton. Mark is a frequent lecturer on the topics of business management, strategy, economic development and public policy, and published a variety of articles on management, economic development and entrepreneurship. He is an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and Lecturer at the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and The Tuck School at Dartmouth. Mark holds a BA and MBA from the University of Dayton, an MS in Technology Management from The American University and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Economics from George Mason University. Mark is very active in the Pittsburgh community, having served or presently serving on a number of non-profit boards. He also founded several non-profit organizations and advocacy groups whose mission is to improve the performance of local government and promote economic development in western Pennsylvania. Temp CEO role from Feb 2009 Apangea Learning Inc, a Downtown tutoring-software company, named Mark DeSantis its interim chief executive. DeSantis replaces company co-founder Louis Piconi, who becomes chief evaluation officer and national sales vice president. Apangea, with $5 million in 2008 sales, needs a chief executive to take it to the next sales and size level, something Piconi recognized, DeSantis said. DeSantis, an Apangea board member for 3 1/2 years, will remain CEO for as long as 120 days, as a permanent chief executive is sought. He will continue in his role as CEO of MobileFusion Inc., a South Side-based startup developing "smart sensor" devices. DeSantis ran for mayor of Pittsburgh in 2007. Links * http://www.popcitymedia.com/timnews/mobilefusion0430.aspx about Mobile Fusion * http://www.desantisformayor.com/ * http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/2007/0716/13692090.jpg Issues page, harvested on June 28, 2008 -- Priorities for a New Pittsburgh CONFIDENCE IN OUR LEADERS For too long Pittsburgh has suffered from a lack of leadership. As a result, Pittsburghers no longer have confidence in their government. Mark DeSantis will restore confidence in our leaders by making our government accountable to the people. Mark will measure and publish the real impact of every program and department on the citizens of Pittsburgh. Programs and departments that are not providing a measurable benefit to the people of Pittsburgh will be changed or eliminated. The citizens are entitled to an objective review of the performance of their government, and Mark DeSantis will bring that kind of accountability to government. FEWER AND FAIRER TAXES Mark DeSantis understands that one of the main reasons for Pittsburgh’s declining population is the unfair tax burden it places on its residents. In order to cut taxes, Mark understands that it is essential to first lower the cost of government. He is committed to reducing government spending by a fixed percent every year. Mark will right-size Pittsburgh’s government to the point where spending and taxes are equal to those in other similar-sized, high-performing cities. EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND TRANSPARENCY In order to reduce spending and taxes, Mark DeSantis understands that your leaders must be committed to providing the most efficient, effective and transparent city government possible. Mark will consolidate every city department and program where the quality of service can be improved and the cost reduced. He is also committed to making Pittsburgh a national model for the creative use of technology in city government. Finally, Mark will no longer permit hiring in city government to be influenced by politics. He will implement a performance-based hiring, promotion and employee development program that rewards merit, not political connections. GREATER PERSONAL SAFETY Nothing city government does is more important than keeping our streets safe. Pittsburgh has long taken pride in being a safe city, but lately crime has been on the rise. If Pittsburghers do not feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods and schools, nothing can stop the decline in our city’s population. Mark DeSantis will lead the fight to crack down on crime by working with communities and neighborhoods to establish community-wide crime reduction goals and targets. Mark understands that crime prevention can be most effectively achieved only through partnerships between police, community leaders and neighborhood organizations. SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Mark DeSantis understands that the biggest challenge facing our city’s leaders is creating good-paying private sector jobs. Mark has extensive experience helping start technology companies here in Pittsburgh, and he realizes what it takes to create the kind of jobs that will keep our young people here. Mark understands that our city cannot effectively compete in today’s economy without a plan for its economy. Mark is committed to developing a comprehensive, community-based, dynamic and integrated economic development plan for our city. He understands that such a plan is essential for sustainable economic development. BRIDGING THE CULTURAL DIVIDE Mark DeSantis intends to make Pittsburgh one of the most open and welcoming cities in America. He is committed to ensuring that economic, educational and social opportunities extend to all of our citizens, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. Too often our city has been divided along racial, economic, generational and even neighborhood lines. Mark is determined to address the issues that divide our city and bring all Pittsburghers together to help our city achieve its enormous potential. Crime Planks : harvested on September 21, 2007 from Dems for Desantis blog DESANTIS UNVEILS HIS PLAN TO MAKE PITTSBURGH THE SAFEST CITY IN AMERICA Pittsburgh, PA – At a late morning news conference mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis alongside his public policy chair, Chief Ophelia 'Cookie' Coleman unveiled his 5-part Public Safety Plan. Chief Coleman is currently the Police Chief in the borough of Wilkinsburg. She began her current position in December 2006. She is the first female African-American police chief in the borough's history. Previously, Chief Coleman spent 26 years on the Pittsburgh Police Force. Prior to her departure, she served as a detective on the force. PLAN: Making Pittsburgh the Safest City in America Mr. DeSantis believes that crime should not be an easy alternative for our youth. His plan combines a restructuring of the City of Pittsburgh Police Department together with community participation to reach a solution. "I want to talk about police, and I want to talk about community. I want to talk about all of these things, because I can't talk about them separately" said DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis unveiled his policy at the intersection of North Charles Street and Perrysville Avenue due to the recent crime rate in this area. "We're here today, on this corner, because crime has become an easy alternative in this neighborhood," said DeSantis. 1) Four months ago in Perry South, a man fired a semi-automatic weapon through the windshield of a car carrying a mother and her 11-month old baby. 2) On July 8, 2007 an 18-year old graduate of Oliver High School headed to Edinboro University, was killed just down the road on Brighton Place, while he was waiting to take his girlfriend's nephews to a Pirates game. 3) On July 23, 2007 an 18-year old man was gunned down with an assault weapon on the Mexican War Streets. 4) On July 24, three men were shot here on North Charles St. 5) Approximately one week ago, in the California-Kilbride section, a man was killed by two teenagers in a drive-by shooting. Those same teenagers are suspected of another drive-by shooting right here on North Charles Street. "If we're going to be a true community and a truly great city, we have to be accountable when bad things like this happen in our city. And we have to work together to make sure these things don't happen at all, " said DeSantis. FIRST: COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING We have 30 police officers dedicated to community oriented policing. I want the entire department dedicated to community-oriented policing. Policies need to be established that encourage all officers to be proactive in the community, empowering them to solve local problems and to prevent crime before it happens. We need greater geographic consistency in officer assignments, so that officers can develop relationships with community leaders and organizations and the people in the neighborhoods. A commitment to community-oriented policing will allow officers to become well-known and trusted in the communities they serve SECOND: MORE POLICE ON THE STREET In the aftermath of the consent decree, the Pittsburgh Police installed one of the most sophisticated and effective tools for tracking police behavior and performance, the Performance Assessment Review System (PARS). Using the PARS System, I will take a hard look, hour by hour, at the functions being performed by all of our officers Wherever possible, any function currently being performed that doesn't result in arrests or time spent by an officer in the community will be civilianized, computerized or eliminated This will allow lower cost personnel to handle administrative functions Examples: * Police officers right now are delivering inter-office mail and staffing reception desks. * Despite Act 47 mandates to stop the practice, there are still officers serving as clerks for zone commanders. * Uniformed police officers, while on duty, are scheduling off-duty work for their fellow officers. * Finally a police commander is serving as Chief of Staff for the Police Chief. That is an administrative function that should be filled by a civilian staff member. THIRD: MERIT-BASED PROMOTIONS Police should be hired and promoted based on merit, not seniority or patronage Promotions and assignments are no longer based entirely on merit. Merit has given way to a system that promotes favoritism. I will work with the Police Chief, using the performance information provided by PARS, to identify and promote officers who spend their time serving and protecting the community FOURTH: CITIZEN PARTICIPATION As Mayor, I will conduct regular public safety surveys to identify the concerns and problem areas in each city neighborhood so that we can better allocate police resources I will reinvigorate the Public Safety Council. The Public Safety Council, which represents each of the city's 88 neighborhoods, will meet regularly with police, fire, health, building and code enforcement officers to identify problem areas in the city and develop strategies for solving them. This group can be a real force. Police will work with neighborhood block watch groups to train block watch captains. FIVE: BROKEN-WINDOW POLICING I've taken this idea from New York City, where it made a huge difference. As Mayor, I will have a zero tolerance policy for crime, no matter how small. Tolerance for low-level crimes, such as vandalism and graffiti, creates an environment that leads to more serious crime. We need to identify and condemn nuisance properties that are staging areas for serious crime. We need to use data to target high crime areas and times, and have the police make every legal vehicle and pedestrian stop in those areas at those times. This strategy was implemented in NYC and, in the first month, this program resulted in 98 felony arrests, 662 misdemeanors and 127 drug and gun seizures. "And with these five strategies, my administration will work toward fulfilling the most important job of any Mayor: working with the police and the members of our community to lead the fight on crime, and to make our great city safe" said DeSantis. DeSantis category:Planks_from_elsewhere